We build the most advanced ships in the world using our expertise in nuclear propulsion, naval design and manufacturing. We are currently building the new Ford class aircraft carriers and Virginia class fast-attack submarines, and perform Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) on Nimitz class aircraft carriers. We provide fleet services for our ships worldwide and, using our nuclear and manufacturing expertise, are expanding into Department of Energy and alternative energy ventures.
Founded as the Chesapeake Dry Dock and Construction Co. in 1886, Newport News Shipbuilding has built more than 800 ships, including both naval and commercial ships. Located in Newport News, Va., our facilities span more than 550 acres, strategically positioned in one of the great harbors of the East Coast.
Background and Achievements
Newport News Shipbuilding is:
- Builder of the most complex ships in the world for more than 128 years at Newport News, and more than 75 years at Ingalls
- Sole builder of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, the world’s largest warships, and one of two builders constructing nuclear‐powered submarines
- Exclusive provider of refueling services for nuclear‐powered aircraft carriers, and at the forefront of new ship technologies, specialized manufacturing capabilities and nuclear facility management
- Unrivalled experience in modular engineering and construction with innovative new solutions for upstream, midstream and downstream energy infrastructure
- Employs approximately 7,500 engineers
Challenges to be Addressed by AR
Augmented Reality is transitioning from a nascent state into the mainstream, and understanding the proper use cases for industrial implementation of the technology, identifying value and deploying test pilots to validate assumptions is where Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) has excelled in recent years. NNS feels that AR shines in high variability, low production-rate manufacturing in a number of different use cases; however, scalability, the rapid turnover in hardware technology and unique challenges to our industry are still challenges that need to be overcome.
Why AR is a Strategic Area
NNS believes that AR has potential to impact manufacturing in this decade as dramatically as lean manufacturing philosophies did in the 1980s and 90s. Properly deployed and managed, AR has the potential to positively impact worker safety, as well as product quality, cost and schedule.